DESCRIPTION: (From the application) Rational design of biomaterials demands a comprehensive scientific understanding of materials and their performance. This is encompassed in the three scientific priorities identified at the 1995 NIH Workshop of "Biomaterials and Medical Implant Science: Present and Future Perspectives (NIH, 1995). Those priorities are to (1) design materials from a biologic basis, (2) establish more efficient methods for the scientific basis for determining performance and quality of biomedical materials, and (3) advance processing and manufacture of well-characterized materials. To accomplish these priorities, an integrated programmatic approach is demanded. Teams of basic scientists, engineers, and clinicians must work together to create and characterize materials for future biomedical applications. This need to catalyze multidisciplinary teams was one of the three priorities identified during the 1998 NIH Symposium, "Bioengineering: Building the Future of Biology and Medicine" (NIH, 19998). Unfortunately, symposia rarely have sufficiently expansive scope to address the interdisciplinary issues needed to improve the probability of clinical success. Ceramics symposia rarely focus on clinical needs; clinical symposia rarely address basic science, characterization, and fabrication issues. The proposed conference will foster the dialogue across traditional barriers, engaging basic, applied, and clinical scientists in conversation and collaboration to accelerate development and use of advanced materials in biomedical applications. Materials to be considered include ceramics, composites, and engineered structures.